Requests should include full details, including field numbers and the options for which a derogation is required.

With only 19mm of rain in Wales during June, the availability of water and grazing for livestock and the subsequent effect on crop growth has been unprecedented.

NFU Cymru president John Davies made the plea for early payments during a meeting with Welsh rural affairs cabinet secretary Lesley Griffiths on Wednesday (25 July).

He said: “One of our key asks was for the Basic Payment Scheme payment to be brought forward to October for all farmers in Wales – or at the at the very least that every farmer should receive a part payment.”

The union also made the case for a fodder aid scheme – permitted under EU rules – to subsidise the high cost of transporting large amounts of fodder into Wales.

As a means of further help, the government was asked to consider drawing down EU agricultural crisis reserve funds, which are obtained through the annual top slicing of CAP direct payments.